“Please excuse me, ladies; I am needed in the library,” the duke said, walking past us and exchanging a brief, polite greeting with Winnie on the way.
Angharad pulled me close and whispered. “As of yet, the duke remains unmarried, though he fancied your Winnie for the longest time, the poor dear. I suppose now that you’ve seen to the restoration of her title, such a union is possible, should he wish for it.”
I shifted my gaze to Winnie, who appeared indifferent to any unusual treatment she might be receiving from the duke.
“His cock’s got a curve to it, but he’s got some length going for him and a set of plump bollocks,” Angharad added with a wink.
I swiftly cupped my mouth to hold back a scream, sharply returning my attention to my new acquaintance. How could she possibly know that about him? Why did she think I’d want to know?
“A girl hears such things.”
“From where?!” I hissed, but I received no answer.
Angharad continued to make introductions to the various lords and noblemen, always with the quiet addendum of how they looked beneath their clothes. It became less shocking after three or four men, merely another trifle of information.
We went out into the yard, where others were taking time to enjoy the pleasant fall weather. Angharad only bothered to introduce the higher nobility, so we didn’t make too many stops…yet she seemed to walk with a specific destination in mind, the pace breakneck in my uncomfortable slippers.
A number of guardsmen gathered around a training arena in observation. They erupted with sudden applause, parting for us aswe came nearer to the source of entertainment. In the center of a fenced-in ring, two men rehearsed swordplay. Their linen shirts were sweat-dampened and clinging, partially tucked into their dark training breeches.
The men paused their duel, then turned and bowed to us. Now I recognized one of them; the exertion brought color to Lord Quinn’s olive skin, and his shirt, barely there, revealed a lean, muscled frame.
“Oh, no, by all means, please continue,” said Angharad. The viscount caught his breath, just as severe without his armor or finery.
“How’s a man supposed to perform with you gawking at us?” his opponent asked, pouting with indignation. He was a plain but well-shaped fellow, with short, militaristic hair and a chiseled face. “Begone, Angharad!”
“My brother, Russel,” she introduced, then added without whisper: “His cock is tiny and sad.”
“What madness are you whispering over there, she-devil?”
The viscount shook his head, adjusting the tie that pulled a mane of dark hair from his face. “Ease up, Rus. There’s a princess among us.”
Russel’s eyes went straight to me, and then he dropped onto one knee. “Your Highness.”
“Not yet, but good practice.” Lord Quinn smiled, crossing the arena to be closer. I bristled. “What brings you to us, Angharad?”
There was an immediate familiarity between the pair of them, a lowered guard and loosened formality. It was disconcerting to see him smile. I wondered just what the lady had done to turn this bloodhound into a lap dog.
“I have the honor of escorting Lady Alana on a stroll about the castle. We’re making introductions…though I suppose, from the look in her eye, the two of you have met?”
“That would be correct. I am the one who abducted her for Nic.”
I might not have been a master of courtly manners, but surely the shortening of the prince’s given name counted as impudence.
Angharad sensed my hesitation and rested a hand on the small of my back. “Long before I was engaged to my darling husband,my family took our winter holiday in Hadria. It was there I first met the viscount…and we had a bit of romance, didn’t we?”
Startled out of his cockiness, the viscount rubbed his neck. “More than a bit.”
“A tumble here and there.”
My face scorched as I struggled to comprehend the rules of propriety here. It felt as though every warning Winnie had given me about how to conduct myself was defied by Angharad. Not only that, but in all the stories of noble intrigue, not once had Ieverencountered a woman like her. Yet, she was not judged harshly, so far as I could tell, nor was her position reduced.
“You were my first love, Angharad. How you wound me.”
I shifted my weight. Angharad looked between the viscount and me, then put her hands on her hips.
“You must have done a number on her; she’s utterly speechless.”
“She’s a mute, you fool,” replied Lord Quinn.
